Choosing A College: Best Matches and Safety Schools Galore

When looking at colleges I STRONGLY suggest checking out the statistics of the most recent class.

• Get a sense of the average GPA and SAT scores
• Remember these numbers are the averages and that many score below and many score above these numbers

• Posting/Asking about chances at a particular school
• My best advice is not to do this, because no one will know for sure if you will gain admittance but the admissions committee on the day they review your application.
• Don't listen to other high school students about where your scores will get you in, it doesn't matter what they think. They don't know, they haven't even finished the college admissions process yet!

• DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED....APPLY, APPLY, APPLY!!!
• Use these numbers to get an estimate of where you fit in at certain schools.
• If you are above the numbers, this could be a potential safety/best fit.
• If you are below the numbers, this could be a potential reach for you.

• Safety School DOES NOT mean Sure Shot
• It happened to me, I did not get into any of my safety schools! I had higher stats than all of these school's average scores.
• Admission to a school is a gamble...
• On Tuesday they need tuba players, and on Wednesday they need artists, but you're an artist and they reviewed your application on Tuesday...I'm sure you can see the outcome
• Whereas, I know a student who got into all of the schools they applied to
• This person could have aimed a little higher when applying to schools

Again do NOT be discouraged by the average stats, they are only numbers. Which is why you need to make sure your application is MORE than a number, especially when applying to smaller schools. Scores ARE important, but the person behind the scores are just as or even more important.

In future sections, I will discuss ways and techniques to enhance your "total package" (Scores, GPA, application, Letters of Recommendation, College Essay, Interview) to become the best applicant in order to get into your dream school.